NEWS Press release for Contact: P. Edelman (301) 634-7302 pedelman@genetics-gsa.org IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION K. Long (301) 634-7346 [email protected]

Grant Application Available for Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award for Female Geneticists

The application for the 2010 Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award of the Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation is now available online at www.ashg.org/pages/awards/rfranklin.htm.This career development research award will provide two grants of $75,000 each to female geneticists within their first three years of an independent faculty-level position. One award will fund genetics research in human and non-human mammals, and the other will fund genetics research in model organisms. Young female geneticists from any country worldwide are welcome to apply.

These awards of $75,000 will be appropriated over three years and may be used for any purpose that advances genetics research being done by the recipient. They may not be used for salary support of the recipient herself.

The Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award program is administered by the Genetics Society of America (GSA) and the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG), with support from the Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation. The awards honor the groundbreaking contributions of Rosalind Franklin, whose work on the structure of DNA provided crucial information that enabled James Watson and Francis Crick to determine how bases paired to form the double helix formation of DNA.

Applications will be reviewed by a joint committee appointed by GSA, ASHG and the Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation. Members of the joint review committee include Marian Carlson, PhD, Columbia University, New York; Beverly S. Emanuel, PhD, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Judith E. Kimble, PhD, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Mary- Claire King, PhD, University of Washington, Seattle; Amy Pasquinelli, PhD, University of California, San Diego; Molly Przeworski, PhD, University of Chicago, Illinois; Janet D. Rowley, MD, PhD, University of Chicago, Illinois; and, Trudi Schüpbach, PhD, Princeton University, New Jersey.

The application deadline is Monday, June 8, 2009. Applicants must also include a Curriculum Vita and two letters of recommendation. Recipients will be notified of their award in September 2009. The recipients will be announced at the 59th ASHG Annual Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Friday, October 23, 2009 in conjunction with the Gruber award ceremony, and will be invited to present during one of the sessions at the meeting. The model organism winner will also be recognized at an appropriate GSA conference.

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Rosalind Franklin Young Investigators Award May 1, 2009 Page 2.

This is the third time the Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award of the Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation will be given. In 2004, Amy Pasquinelli, assistant professor of biology at the University of California, San Diego, was the first recipient of the $75,000 award. Pasquinelli used the award "to study how the newly discovered class of miRNA genes are expressed and function, primarily using genetic and molecular approaches in C. elegans." In 2007, Molly Przeworski, an evolutionary geneticist and an associate professor at the University of Chicago was the second recipient of the award, which she is using to compare recombination landscapes in humans and chimpanzees in order to learn more about the constraints acting on the human recombination process.

For additional information and an application, visit the Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award website at http://www.ashg.org/pages/awards/rfranklin.htm or contact Phyllis Edelman at [email protected]. #####

ABOUT THE GENETICS SOCIETY OF AMERICA Founded in 1931, the Genetics Society of America (GSA) is the professional membership organization for geneticists and science educators. Its nearly 4,000 members work to advance knowledge in the basic mechanisms of inheritance, from the molecular to the population level. The GSA is dedicated to promoting research in genetics and to facilitating communication among geneticists worldwide through the Genetics Society of America Conferences including the biennial conference on Model Organisms to Human Biology, an interdisciplinary meeting on current and cutting edge topics in genetics research, as well as annual and biennial meetings that focus on the genetics of particular organisms. GSA publishes GENETICS, the leading journal in the field. For more information about GSA, please visit www.genetics-gsa.org

ABOUT THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF HUMAN GENETICS Founded in 1948, The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) is the primary professional membership organization for human genetics specialists worldwide. The nearly 8,000 members of ASHG include researchers, academicians, clinicians, laboratory practice professionals, genetic counselors, nurses and others involved in or with a special interest in human genetics. The Society’s mission is to serve research scientists, health professionals and the public by providing forums to: (1) share research results through the Society’s Annual Meeting and in The American Journal of Human Genetics (AJHG); (2) advance genetic research by advocating for research support; (3) educate current and future genetics professionals, health care providers, advocates, policymakers, educators, students and the general public about all aspects of human genetics; and (4) promote genetic services and support responsible social and scientific policies. For more information about ASHG, please visit: http://www.ashg.org/.

ABOUT THE PETER AND PATRICIA GRUBER FOUNDATION The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation honors and encourages educational excellence, social justice and scientific achievements that better the human condition. The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation is a private, United States-based philanthropic organization established in 1993 under the 501(c)(3) section of U.S. Corporate Law. It is funded entirely by Peter and Patricia Gruber, who serve as its Chairman and President, respectively. The Foundation is headquartered in St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands, and maintains a small branch office in New York City. For more information about Foundation guidelines and priorities, please visit www.gruberprizes.org. #####